Itâ€™s amazing the amount of whiplash one can get from a single movie. Over the past month or so weâ€™ve heard conflicting rumors surrounding the release date of Ben Affleckâ€™s upcoming Batman film, as well as conflicting statements regarding the actual status of the flick. Affleck may have been confirmed to be on board to direct it some months ago, but ever since then, heâ€™s seemed to have suffered from a severe case of cold feet, always saying things like “thereâ€™s no movie yet,” and “nothing is confirmed” whenever asked about its status.

Generally in Hollywood, Affleck is right. Movies can fall apart at the drop of a hat, and someone whoâ€™s had the career he has knows how fickle the entire process really is. You can be at one hundred percent one day, only to witness a single pulled brick take the entire thing down in one fell swoop. That being said, in the world of blockbusters, the wishy-washiness weâ€™ve experience from Affleck regarding The Batman hasnâ€™t been promising. When thereâ€™s hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, fans donâ€™t want to hear â€œweâ€™ll see,â€ and the studio generally doesnâ€™t want any negative press to hit about the film, for fear that it may scare away moviegoers. Yet here were are, a short few months away from what we can only assume will be a production date for The Batman, and its actual existence as a film still seems to be up in the air.

If that whiplash wasnâ€™t enough for you, Affleckâ€™s got another quick statement. Speaking with Fox 5 about his latest film, Live By Night, the interviewer managed to sneak in a quick plea that Affleck actually follow through with directing the movie. Affleckâ€™s quick response back was:

â€œAll right, weâ€™re good and going. Weâ€™re going.â€

Obviously, considering Affleckâ€™s history with the project thus far, and his nonchalance with which his comments were made, we canâ€™t take this as gospel. Nothing is ever easy in the industry, and with Affleck coming off the heels of what looks to be his first critical disappointment of his directorial career, itâ€™s possible that heâ€™s in an even more vulnerable place â€” one that could scare him away from potentially detrimental projects. Thus far the DCEU has been far from a critical darling, and it wouldnâ€™t be a huge surprise if his confidence began to wane, but weâ€™ll just have to wait and see.

However, if there is something that adds a bit of confidence into the mix, it’s a recent rumor from the outlet Batman On Film. According to one of the site’s sources, The Batman is set to face a delay of “a couple of months.” It’s assumed that this will delay the release from an expected summer 2018.

So why does this potential delay increase my confidence? Affleck has said from day one that he’ll only go through with this project if he has faith in it. By delaying it, it seems like he’s taking extra care in making the film something that fans will be happy to see.

What do you think of Affleckâ€™s comments? Do you think heâ€™ll actually follow through with directing the new Batman film, or are we really witnessing the beginning of his departure from the DC Extended Universe at large? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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